Missouri Realtors take home win with failed Amendments 4 and 5

KMIZ on August 4, 2026

Alison Patton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

After months of campaigning against Amendments 4 and 5, the Missouri Realtors are taking home a win as Missouri voters turn down the ballot measures.

Missouri Realtors campaign spokesperson Scott Charton cheered the election night crowd of about 40 people around 8:15 p.m. after preliminary results rolled in, showing the amendments were likely to fail.

“The people have spoken. The people spoke loudly, clearly and overwhelmingly. Amendments 4 and 5 have been soundly defeated,” Charton said to a crowd of cheering supporters. “Amendments 4 and 5 have been buried so deep in citizen rejection, they should never come back.”

Gov. Mike Kehoe, a long-time proponent of eliminating the state income tax, posted on social media following the called races, saying he would continue to work to give Missourians tax breaks.

Throughout this conversation on eliminating the state income tax, we made the case that Missouri should think boldly about its future, challenge the status quo, and pursue policies that make our state more competitive.

While Amendment 5 did not earn the support it needed, I…

— Governor Mike Kehoe (@GovMikeKehoe) August 5, 2026

Missouri Realtors president-elect Brent Sager said many voters he talked with while campaigning against the measures didn’t like Amendment 5, which would have allowed lawmakers to phase out the state income tax.

“I hear from everybody, ‘No on 5, no on 5,” Sager said. “I’ve talked to a lot of staunch Republicans that have told me, ‘I’m the furthest right feather on the right wing of that bird,’ and I ask, ‘Well, what do you think about five,’ and they say, ‘No position on five.”

The Missouri Realtors PAC has spent millions against Amendment 5 through Missourians for Fair Taxation PAC because they believe the ballot measure would have dramatically raised sales taxes to make up the revenue loss from the state income tax.

Lawmakers have indicated that if the income tax is phased out, then sales tax could go up, and the sales tax base could be expanded. However, state Rep. Bishop Davidson (R-Republic) said there would be exemptions for essentials like healthcare, real estate and groceries.

Davidson said it would close loopholes in Missouri law that prevent sales tax from being collected on things like services.

However, those exemptions are not written into the law, and voters will have to trust lawmakers to keep their promises.

Missouri Realtors are also opposing Amendment 4 through the PAC Missourians for Fair Governance. If it had passed, that ballot measure would have required a majority of voters in all eight of the state’s congressional districts to approve a referendum. Opponents say it could take 5% of voters to turn down any petition.

“Our fellow Missourians have sent a powerful message to Jefferson City: The people are in charge. The majority rules, and every citizen’s vote counts equally,” Charton said.

Proponents, including Gov. Mike Kehoe and the Missouri Farm Bureau, claim this will make it harder for out-of-state interest groups to sway Missouri politics.

If Missourians approved Amendment 4, the law would reduce the maximum fine for people convicted of signature fraud from $10,000 to $1,000. Rep. Ed Lewis (R-Moberly) said this is to stay consistent with the Missouri Constitution.

Click here to follow the original article.

Guide Dogs of the Desert seeks volunteer puppy raisers to help meet growing need

KESQ on August 4, 2026

Luis Avila

WHITEWATER, Calif. (KESQ) — Guide Dogs of the Desert is urgently looking for more volunteer puppy raisers to help prepare the next generation of guide dogs for people who are blind or visually impaired.

The organization says volunteer puppy raisers play a critical role in every guide dog’s journey, providing the foundation puppies need before they begin formal guide dog training and are eventually matched with someone who will depend on them every day.

“We need 60 puppy raisers a year… we also need to keep retention of the 60 we have, so that’s 120 raisers a year that we need,” one staff member said.

Volunteer puppy raisers care for the puppies during their first year of life, helping them develop confidence through socialization, basic obedience, and everyday experiences.

The nonprofit says volunteers are supported throughout the entire process.

“We take care of everything from genetics to vaccines to anything that can possibly come up in their lives medically,” another staff member said.

For guide dog user Danielle Larson, the work volunteers do has a lifelong impact.

“What these dogs bring to people’s lives is hard to describe. It is a renewed sense of confidence and independence and honestly just fun,” she said.

She says none of that would be possible without the volunteers who help raise the dogs from the very beginning.

“Without that foundational exposure and preparation for the work they are going to be doing it’s impossible for them to be completely ready to go out and to be able to be the support and the tool and eyes someone needs,” Larson said.

Guide Dogs of the Desert says eleven puppies will be ready to go home with volunteer raisers on Sept. 18.

For more information, click here.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

Click here to follow the original article.

Big Rock Fire Update

KIFI on August 4, 2026

Kaelyn Blessinger

HEISE, Idaho (KIFI) — As crews continue working to put out hot spots near Heise Hot Springs, the Big Rock Fire remains within its existing perimeter.

“I really think we have to give a huge round of applause to all of our firefighters, because they really did protect structures,” Jefferson County Public Information Officer Kimberly Murphy said. “I mean, some of those fires came really close to those property lines, but they were able to keep all the campsites, all of the buildings themselves. They really limited the damage in this fire, which is really impressive.”

Currently, there are no visible or active flames on the mountain, only puffs of smoke, charred debris and rocks that are scalding to the touch.

Although there are no visible flames, the fire is still listed at 0% containment by Watch Duty. However, containment does not necessarily indicate whether a fire is actively burning.

“When a fire is contained, that means there’s no fingers or branches or anything that could spark a fire again,” Murphy said. “And right now, there are some areas of green within these canyons and such that could ignite again. And so that’s why we can’t say that fire is contained at that point. But it’s not growing today.”

Fire crews are working to cut and remove debris from the area. With more than 200 personnel assigned to the fire, officials are asking anyone who does not have access to property in the area to stay away and give crews room to work.

Jefferson County is also reminding property owners not to return to their property until they have been given explicit permission to do so.

Click here to follow the original article.

El Paso County’s preliminary budget boosts pay, raises taxes

KVIA on August 4, 2026

El Paso Matters

by Elida S. Perez

The El Paso County Commissioners Court is considering a preliminary $542 million general fund budget for the next fiscal year that could require a tax increase of about $164 a year on the average value home.

The county introduced its preliminary budget and proposed its voter-approval tax rate Monday, though the court could adopt a lower tax rate as it works to finalize its budget over the next month. To adopt the no-new-revenue rate, however, the county would have to cut $40 million from the preliminary spending figures presented during the budget hearing.

The hearing outlined the preliminary budget expenditures that include pay raises for non-uniform county staff, increased spending for the Sheriff’s Office, judicial salaries and programs such as economic development and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. At the same time, culture and recreation, health and welfare, and public works will see decreases in spending.

The general fund comprises day-to-day government services such as public safety, the county jails, courts, elections and administrative offices and is supported primarily through property taxes and fees. The county’s preliminary overall budget includes $128 million that includes enterprise funds, capital projects and debt payments.

The county on Monday introduced the voter-approval rate of about 50.4 cents per $100 of property valuation for the next fiscal year. The voter-approval rate – the highest it can adopt without going to voters – would yield a county tax bill of $1,159 on the average value home of $194,879. That’s an increase of about 16.5% from the tax on an average value home last year.

The county by practice the last few years has introduced the voter-approval tax rate as it works towards finalizing a budget, though it doesn’t always adopt that rate. By law, taxing entities cannot adopt a tax rate higher than it proposes on public notices, but they can adopt a lower rate. The no-new revenue rate is what is needed to generate the same amount of property tax revenue as the previous year on the same properties.

Much of the proposed increase to the budget comes from the Sheriff’s Office for public safety.

The office requested $161 million for the next fiscal year’s budget, about $24 million more over the current year. The county is counterproposing with about $152 million as the two work toward a final budget before it is adopted.

The Sheriff’s Office has been a key driver in increased expenditures as the county jails spend nearly twice as much on daily overtime compared with two years ago. 

The county is not authorizing any new positions in the upcoming fiscal year, but has worked with the Sheriff’s Office to implement a new staffing strategy meant to cut down on overtime expenses for jail operations it has accrued in the past year.

A public hearing on this year’s tax rate will be held Aug. 17. The county adopts its final budget in September ahead of the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

The meetings mark the start of budget season for some of the region’s key taxing entities — the city, county and hospital district — as officials determine the property tax rates that will help fund public services while shaping homeowners’ tax bills for the coming year.

On Tuesday, Commissioners Court will hear the proposed budget for the El Paso County Hospital District that includes University Medical Center of El Paso and El Paso Children’s Hospital, while the El Paso City Council on Tuesday also will receive a presentation on its proposed budget and potential tax rates for the next fiscal year.

Here are some of the key proposed changes to the county budget for fiscal year 2027.

The Judge Enrique Pena Juvenile Justice Center on Delta Drive, El Paso, Texas, Thursday, April 16, 2026. (Luis Torres/El Paso Matters)

Public safety

The preliminary public safety budget, which includes the Sheriff’s Office and constables, is about $181 million, a 9% increase over the previous year. The additional funds include about $4 million to pay raises and benefits through collective bargaining agreements and an $8 million increase for overtime for jail operations.

Non uniform-employee pay raises

The preliminary total budget includes an increase of about $5 million for 1.5% cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, and a 2.5% STEP increase, a salary increase tied to the county’s pay schedule, for all non-collective bargaining agreement employees effective Jan. 1.

General government

The general government category that includes expenditures for administration, including the offices of the county auditor, clerk and chief administrator as well as other entities such as the El Paso Central Appraisal District and city of El Paso for tax collection services, will be about $215 million, a 17% increase. The increase is due, in part, to increases for fleet maintenance repair, salary increases and capital improvement program increases.

The county of El Paso’s Ascarate Park, 6900 Delta Drive (Cindy Ramirez / El Paso Matters)

County elected officials pay raises

Commissioners Court did not discuss any potential pay raises for elected officials Monday, including to themselves. Any proposed salary boosts to elected officials including commissioners, county clerk, county attorney, district clerk and county sheriff, among others, would be presented and discussed Aug. 11. 

The Commissioners Court may consider a 4% cost of living adjustment for elected officials that has been budgeted, but not yet presented, County Administrator Betsy Keller said during Monday’s budget hearing. Keller said elected officials last received a pay raise in 2023. The cost of living has increased by about 9% since then, she said.

Commissioners Court has not voted to give itself pay raises since commissioners approved a controversial 16% pay raise for the 2024 fiscal year. County Commissioners get paid about $133,500 a year while the county judge’s annual salary is $152,700.

Culture and recreation

The culture and recreation category that includes county parks, pools, the digital library and golf course will see a decrease of about 6% to $10 million. The reduction is largely due to decreases in spending for maintenance, utility and operating expenditures based on anticipated usage.

Resource development

The budget for resource development – which funds economic growth, business development and agricultural extension services – will be about $11 million. That’s a 56% increase largely funded through uncommitted reserve funds in effort to boost its Economic Impact Fund, an incentive program designed to attract businesses to the county.

County voter-approved bonds

Voters in November 2024 approved three county bond proposals totaling about $155 million. The funds will go toward park improvements, a new medical examiner’s office and a first-time county animal shelter. 

The county has issued about $12 million in general obligation bonds as of June for the three propositions with the largest portion of about $8 million going toward park improvements. About $2 million has been issued for the medical examiner’s office and another $2 million for the animal shelter.

Click here to follow the original article.

Supporters of Amendment 4 and 5 voice disappointment after both ballot measures fail to pass

KMIZ on August 4, 2026

Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Amendments 4 and 5 failed at the ballot box on Tuesday.

Dennis Ganahl, with MO Tax Relief — a group backing the ballot measure — shared his disappoint over the failure to pass.

“We’re very disappointed that Missouri voters have decided to do nothing to move our state forward,” Ganahl said. “That said we’re committed to making Missouri competitive and attractive, so people will move here in the future, and that companies won’t move out.”

Gov. Mike Kehoe took to social media and echoed a similar statement.

Throughout this conversation on eliminating the state income tax, we made the case that Missouri should think boldly about its future, challenge the status quo, and pursue policies that make our state more competitive.

While Amendment 5 did not earn the support it needed, I believe our work is far from over.

“I remain committed to working with the General Assembly in the years ahead on ways to continue cutting taxes, growing our state’s economy, and pursuing conservative policies that help Missouri families keep more of what they earn.

Amendment 5 would move to eliminate the state’s income tax by increasing sales and use taxes over time. Amendment 4 would change the state’s initiative petition process by requiring ballot issues to win a majority in all eight congressional districts rather than a statewide simple majority,” Kehoe’s statement read.

Gov. Mike Kehoe said Tuesday after casting his ballot that if Amendment 5 passed, he would not call a special session to start the “redesign” of Missouri’s tax structure.

“The legislature actually has five years to come up with a plan,” Kehoe said.

As lawmakers would eliminate the state’s income tax, they would increase the state’s sales and use tax rates. Local governments would have to simultaneously change their sales and use taxes.

“No. 1, it’s easy to say “no” to anything,” Kehoe said. “No. 2, whoever is putting a lot of money into that campaign obviously has some tax benefits and things that they like right now. Not saying that’s good or bad, but that’s usually how that works.”

Supporters of the amendment claim it would bring more businesses and jobs to the state while also keeping the younger population around long-term.

“Our economy has been stagnant for several decades now. Growth is very slow, we’re losing population,” said Camellia Peterson, the Legislative Director for Americans for Prosperity in Missouri. “The average Missouri will have an extra $2,700; $2,800 in their pocket.”

Supporters of Amendment 4 allege it would “protect election integrity” and promote transparency. Campaign Manager for Protect Election Integrity Ray Bozarth said it represents “good government.”

“Oftentimes the full text of the initiative petition isn’t available to voters and there’s also kind of a lack of public input,” Bozarth said.

Bozarth said if the amendment passes, it would ensure every district in the state is heard, instead of lawmakers focusing on the larger districts to reach the majority of the populace.

“The the reason for increasing the buy-in from a simple majority to majorities in every congressional district is just the idea that if you’re gonna amend the Constitution, we’re not talking about statutes, amending a state constitution you have to get buy-in from every single corner of the state, you can’t ignore one area of voters,” Bozarth said.

Bozarth said the amendment will especially add guardrails into place when lawmakers try and change the state constitution.

“It shouldn’t be easy to amend a state constitution,” Bozarth said. “Right now, Missouri state constitution has 126 amendments and is over 200 pages long. Compare that with the US Constitution, which only has 27 amendments.”

Polls closed at 7 p.m.

Click here to follow the original article.

Man pleads guilty to 2023 I-25 shooting that killed 17-year-old outside of Las Cruces

KVIA on August 4, 2026

Gabrielle Lopez

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) — A man received a 14-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder Tuesday. Drake Armendariz shot and killed a 17-year-old boy in the Las Cruces area back in March 2023.

The Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced Armendariz’ sentencing. It said Armendariz was 16 years old at the time of the shooting on March 3, 2023. He fired six rounds into a vehicle driving on I-25 just outside Las Cruces.

The gunfire hit Benjamin Archuleta, a passenger in the vehicle, and was transported to a hospital. He died one day before his 18th birthday, the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office said.

The Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office said the case was originally dismissed prejudice in February 2024 by the previous district attorney. After taking office, Doña Ana County District Attorney Fernando Macias reviewed the case and had the charges reinstated.

District Attorney Fernando Macias said, “This case is a reminder that choices have consequences, and our office will continue to hold violent offenders accountable, including young offenders.”

Armendariz originally received a 30-year prison sentence. The district attorney’s office said with 16 years suspended, he has an effective sentence of 14 years. He also received 793 days of pre-sentence confinement credit.

Upon his release, Armendariz will be a convicted felon, serve two years of parole and have five years of probation, the district attorney’s office said.

“We waited 3 long years for justice, but the time has come,” said Lucky Archuleta, the victim’s uncle. “You probably deserved more, but God forgives.”

In March 2023, authorities also arrested 16-year-old Daniel Ortiz in connection with the shooting, ABC-7 previously reported.

Click here to follow the original article.

Tejano New Stages brings emerging playwrights to the stage at EPCC

KVIA on August 4, 2026

Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — El Paso Community College announced it will bring back Tejano New Stages, an event featuring original stories by emerging playwrights. This will be Tejano New Stages’ third year running.

EPCC Theatre Director Ted Karber Jr. created the free event back in 2024, and calls it a “reader’s theatre of original scripts.”

This year’s Tejano New Stages is scheduled for Aug. 7-8 at 7 p.m. at the EPCC Forum Theatre at the Transmountain campus (9570 Gateway Blvd. North). Admission is free.

Audiences won’t see any sets or costumes — just pure storytelling.

Eight EPCC theatre students will read and perform their work. Instead of a fully-staged production, Tejano News Stages focuses on voice performance, EPCC said.

(Courtesy: EPCC)

The event gives students an opportunity to use their voice and emotional connection to bring their story to life.

“This event continues to create a space where new voices, original stories, and students and local writers can be celebrated. There is something special about hearing a new work come to life for the first time and sharing those stories with our community,” EPCC Assistant Threatre Director and Stage Manager Colleen McCrary said.

Click here to follow the original article.

RivCo fire captain’s wife pleads guilty to second-degree murder for Ramona stabbing

KESQ on August 4, 2026

City News Service

EL CAJON, Calif. (KESQ) – A woman who fatally stabbed her wife, a veteran state firefighter who served in the Coachella Valley, at their Ramona home pleaded guilty today to second-degree murder.

Yolanda Marodi, 54, admitted Tuesday to killing her spouse of two years, Cal Fire Capt. Rebecca “Becky” Marodi, at the couple’s Rancho Villa Road home on the night of Feb. 17, 2025.

Marodi is slated to be sentenced next month to 36 years to life in state prison for the slaying. Her guilty plea includes admissions to having a serious prior felony conviction, which pertains to a voluntary manslaughter conviction for fatally stabbing her husband in San Bernardino County more than 20 years ago.

According to an arrest-warrant declaration filed by a detective with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, Rebecca Marodi sought to leave the marriage shortly before she was killed.

The day after the slaying, Yolanda Marodi sent someone a text message stating, “Becky came home and told me she was leaving me, she met someone else, all the messages were lies. We had a big fight and I hurt her … I’m sorry,” the declaration states.

Testimony from a preliminary hearing held earlier this year indicated the victim sustained 23 stab wounds to her neck, chest and abdomen.

Rebecca Marodi, who had worked for the state firefighting agency for more than 30 years, died at the scene.

The victim’s mother, Lorena Marodi, who lived at the home with her daughter and daughter-in-law, testified that on the day of the killing, Yolanda Marodi spoke to her about her marriage, something Lorena said had “never” happened before.

During that conversation, Yolanda said, “She and Becky had some things to work out, but there wouldn’t be any fighting” when Rebecca returned home.

Lorena went out with friends that evening. At the end of the night, as she was dropping her friends off, she drove past her home and noticed Yolanda’s car was gone, she testified.

When she returned home, she found a trail of blood leading inside the house, found her daughter’s motionless body, and called 911.

Sheriff’s deputy Angela Peratis, who was one of the first deputies to respond to the home, said she and her partner found the victim face down in a hallway.

The deputies attempted life-saving measures until firefighters arrived and took over, at which point Peratis testified that she overheard one of the firefighters say, “Is that Becky?”

The warrant declaration states that footage from a Ring camera captured images of Rebecca Marodi fleeing their home as her wife chased her.

The video footage was not played in court, but sheriff’s Homicide Det. Jessica Ricca testified that in her review of the video, the victim can be heard calling out for her mother, to which Yolanda Marodi responds, “She’s not here.”

The two go out of frame for some time, and when they appear again, Rebecca Marodi appeared to be “covered in blood,” Ricca testified. At one point, the bloodied victim was “yelling out, ‘Yolanda! Please… I don’t want to die,”’ the warrant declaration states. Yolanda Marodi, who appeared to be holding a knife and seemingly had blood on her arms, responded, “You should have thought about that before,” according to the document.

The victim repeatedly asked her wife to call 911 before the pair re-entered the home, the declaration states.

About 10 minutes later, the camera recorded video of Yolanda Marodi loading items into a Chevrolet Equinox and then driving off, the declaration states.

Yolanda Marodi crossed the U.S.-Mexico border about an hour after the killing. Mexican authorities arrested her just over a month later near a hotel in the Ferrocarril neighborhood of Mexicali, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.

Rebecca Mardoni served more than 30 years with Cal Fire, mainly in Riverside County with assignments in Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage. Her service began in 1993 as a volunteer firefighter in Moreno Valley in Riverside County. She went on to serve as a seasonal firefighter in Riverside and San Bernardino counties before being promoted to fire apparatus engineer in 2007 and achieving the rank of captain in 2022 at the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.

Click here to follow the original article.

Palo Verde Hospital Continues Improvements with Expanded Funding

KESQ on August 4, 2026

City News Service

BLYTHE (CNS) – Building upgrades and bulking up staff remain objectives in the ongoing turnaround plan for bankrupt Palo Verde Hospital in Blythe, officials said today.

“Every week, we learn something new about this hospital,” Interim Hospital CEO Michelle DeArmond said Tuesday. “We brought operational expertise from the Riverside University Health System, but this hospital has its own history, its own way of doing things. The learning (has gone) both ways.”

DeArmond was tapped for the executive post following the resignation in April of Sandra Anaya, who had been at the helm for 13 years, according to the Palo Verde Healthcare District.

The district said plans are afoot to modernize treatment rooms and the cardiopulmonary unit, as well as refurbish and expand the employee entrance, and install appropriate Americans with Disabilities Act signage around the edifice, located at 250 N. First St.

The process of overhauling the hospital roof and renovating the cafeteria is underway, while hundreds of boxes of decades-old documents are being removed, officials said.

In May, more than two dozen certified emergency room physicians were added to the hospital’s payroll for 24-hour patient intake and treatment. However, additional slots remain unfilled, including radiology, environmental services, ultrasound and cardiopulmonary technicians, according to thedistrict.

Last week, an open house was held, dubbed the “180-Day Scoop,” to give area residents a first-hand look at ongoing changes and answer some of their questions.

The county Board of Supervisors in February signed off on a six-month financial and technical rescue plan to bring the facility back to a sustainable condition.

The board authorized a $3.44 million allocation from the General Fund as payment to the California Department of Health Services on behalf of the healthcare district. That followed a separate $1 million General Fund disbursal directly benefiting the hospital. The money was the core of a stabilizationloan to keep the insolvent hospital afloat.

According to the district, the county’s outlays enabled the district to tap into taxpayer-backed credit available under Medi-Cal totaling $9.9 million to bolster hospital operations. Afterward, the district was further awarded a $3 million state grant, which came on the heels of $1.8 million in federal relief.

A “strike team” authorized by the board and composed of RUHS medical professionals initiated a reformation on Feb. 23 intended to stabilize the hospital’s emergency clinic.

Under the management services agreement between the county and PVHD, RUHS staff are implementing all necessary processes connected to the strike team support plan, with the goal of maintaining emergency operations at the cash-strapped hospital.

Without emergency services at the facility, the area’s roughly 20,000 residents would lose access to “timely treatment for life-threatening conditions where minutes matter,” according to a county statement in January. Outside of the hospital, the nearest option for emergency healthcare is more than 70 miles away.

The monetary agreement between the county and district specifies the county will have “first priority” status among the district’s creditors and will not be liable for any of its debts.

Last September, the PVHD Board of Directors voted to seek federal Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection while efforts were made to stanch ongoing financial losses. Administrators noted the hospital had been struggling to remain afloat since the start of the current decade, with revenue streams withering while patient loads remained unchanged.

The California Health Facilities Financing Authority extended an $8.5 million infusion from the Distressed Hospital Program in 2023, but that turned into a short-term fix, according to the district.

Officials expressed frustration at the time about the inability to recruit a chief financialofficer who would stay the course in sorting out possible solutions. Four CFOscame and went in an 18-month span. The possibility of a wholesale county takeover of the hospital’semergency department has not been ruled out publicly.

Click here to follow the original article.

Texas Society of Architects conference returning to El Paso in 2027

KVIA on August 4, 2026

Max Zepeda

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Destination El Paso, in partnership with the city, annouced Tuesday night that the 2027 Texas Society of Architects Annual Conference and Design Expo will be returning to El Paso next October.

It marks the first time the event has come to the Borderland since 2022, and for just the third time in the event’s history.

“Today isn’t just about announcing another conference,” said El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson during a press conference in Downtown Tuesday night. “It’s about recognizing how far El Paso has come.”

According to a press release provided to ABC 7, the conference scheduled for October 7-9, 2027 will draw 1,800+ attendees to El Paso and $1.4 million into the city economy.

In the release, Destination El Paso writes the following:

“The Conference showcases El Paso as a premier destination for meetings, architecture, culture and innovation…The 2027 Texas Society of Architects Annual Conference & Design Expo reflects El Paso’s continued momentum as a destination where architecture, culture, innovation and hospitality come together to create meaningful visitor experiences and economic impact.”

Click here to follow the original article.